Nick stood, threw a large bill on the table, enough to cover their drinks and a healthy tip.
“Where you headed man?”
Glancing at his watch, it was only a little after midnight and Trina would still be up. If not he’d wake her. He could feel his groin tightening as he imagined her coming to her front door with nothing on but a thong. That’s how she usually greeted him when he called late at night.
Smiling broadly at his buddy, he declared, “To make that booty call you interrupted my brotha.”
Nick chuckled. “More power to you man.”
Chapter 6
The holidays passed by in a blur, a distant memory. Summer hadn’t told anyone about Nick’s visit; she was still in shock by his reaction to her pregnancy. Although she had not seen him since, he stayed true to his word. On Tuesday afternoon, Summer received a letter from Nick’s lawyer, Mr. Steinberg. It was official; her back was up against the wall. The baby’s paternity would be determined once she gave birth. At least he wasn’t crazy enough to demand an amniocentesis for confirmation of paternity.
When Summer received the letter via certified mail she immediately phoned the lawyer. Never being in such a position before, she had no idea what to expect. She was anxious to know if Nick had begun the legal process to get custody of her unborn child. Mr. Steinberg assured her custody arrangements could not be initiated until the paternity of the baby was established. He also informed her that a family court judge would have to review the case in order to grant custody to either parent or both parents in the case of joint custody. For the moment, Summer breathed a sigh of relief.
Mr. Steinberg’s assurances hadn’t meant much to her. Summer found herself crying over the whole mess every time she thought about Nick’s threat. Mostly because she knew what the test results would reveal, which meant there was a strong possibility he would immediately file for custody.
Summer had given some thought to hiring an attorney. The thought of it only gave her a headache, depressing her even more. Nick had enough money to afford the best legal counsel; she would never be able to compete with his caliber of attorneys.
Besides, she had to spend her money sparingly since she’d taken an early maternity leave. With the stress of her now hectic life, she had begun to have sporadic episodes of premature contractions.
Brrrg. Brrrg.Brrrg.
Rising up off the sofa, waddling to the phone on the kitchen wall, Summer answered, “Hello?”
“Did you sign the consent form yet?”
This man is making my life a living hell. “Yes.” Summer lied. She was too afraid to tell him she hadn’t signed the dreadful piece of paper. She had put off signing the document hoping Nick would change his mind. Fat chance. I’ll sign the darn thing after I get off this stupid phone with Ivan the Terrible.
“Good. Bring the document to my office so I can FedEx it to my attorney.”
Nick was determined not to make any of this easy for Summer, he very well could have sent a messenger service to her house to retrieve the document.
Stunned, Summer’s mouth dropped open. Didn’t this fool know there was supposed to be a blizzard later in the afternoon? Although it had not yet started to snow, she didn’t want to take public transportation into Center City. And no way was she going to drive with the threat of a blizzard. The last time she drove in heavy snow her life flashed before her as she slid through a stop sign and nearly collided with a SUV.
“Summer, did you hear me?” Nick snapped, irritated by her silence.
Too afraid to voice her concerns about the impending weather, she didn’t want to fuel his anger by refusing to come to his office.
“Yes, I heard you. I’ll bring it now,” Summer mumbled in defeat.
It’s a good thing she kept an outfit ready to wear at all times. She glanced at the kitchen wall clock and noticed it was eleven forty-five. The weatherman predicted the snow wouldn’t start for another few hours. If she hurried, she could make it back home before it started to come down.
Making her way up the stairs, Summer put on a pair of stylish black denim maternity pants foregoing tights, and a gray cable knit maternity sweater. She didn’t want to put too many clothes on since she’d taken to having annoying hot flashes at the most awkward times. Summer could just hear her mother admonishing her. “Girl you’re gonna catch a cold in your hind-parts going out half naked.”
After she got dressed and fixed her hair, Summer grabbed money from the dresser for carfare as she hurried down the stairs to put on her boots, coat, hat and gloves. As she proceeded to head out the door, she picked up the dreaded document and shoved it into a large leather hobo bag she slung across her shoulder. Concerned with getting back home before the blizzard hit it totally slipped her mind she had not signed the consent.